England Hockey League
 | |
| Sport | Hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| No. of teams | 80 |
| Country | England |
| Official website | www |
The England Hockey League (EHL) is the top tier of the national field hockey league system in England, and is run by England Hockey. The men's league is known as the Men's Hockey League, and the women's league is sponsored by Investec and is known as the Investec Women's Hockey League.
Divisions
The EHL was founded in 2003. The league structure was altered for the 2008/2009 season with the aim of promoting appropriate competition for the teams involved whilst reducing the overheads incurred by teams having to travel long distances. Previously there was a national Premier and national Division One league, which had players fed into it by a North league and South league. There is now only one Premier Division, which is fed by three "Conference" leagues, split into North, West and East regions.[1]
The EHL takes new teams into the National North/West/East leagues from five separately run regional hockey associations: East, Midlands, North, South and West. These associations run a multiple-division league structure of their own, and are in turn fed by teams from county or sub-regional hockey associations or leagues. For example, the Yorkshire Hockey Association runs 11 divisions, and those promoted out of the top Division will be received into the lower divisions of the North Hockey Association. Those promoted from the North Hockey Association's top league will be entered into the EHL Conference North league, from which they can gain promotion to the EHL Premier league.
Teams for 2016/17 season
The following tables list the teams playing in the England Hockey League for the 2016/17 season.[2][3]
Men's Hockey League
| Premier Division | Conference East | Conference North | Conference West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beeston | Brighton & Hove | Bowdon | Cardiff & Met |
| Brooklands MU | Cambridge City | Cannock | Cheltenham |
| Canterbury | Old Georgians [4] | Deeside Ramblers | Chichester Priory Park |
| East Grinstead | Oxted | Doncaster | Fareham |
| Hampstead & Westminster | Richmond | Leek | Indian Gymkhana |
| Holcombe | Sevenoaks | Oxton | Isca |
| Loughborough Students | Southgate | Preston | Olton & West Warwicks |
| Reading | Teddington | Sheffield Hallam | Team Bath Buccaneers |
| Surbiton | Wapping | University of Birmingham | University of Bristol |
| Wimbledon | West Herts | University of Durham | University of Exeter |
Women's Hockey League
| Premier Division | Conference East | Conference North | Conference West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowdon Hightown | Buckingham | Beeston | Bristol Firebrands |
| Canterbury | Cambridge City | Belper | Exe |
| Clifton | Chelmsford | Ben Rhydding | Gloucester City |
| East Grinstead | Hampstead & Westminster | Brooklands Poynton | Isca |
| Holcombe | Harleston Magpies | Liverpool Sefton | Olton & West Warwicks |
| Leicester | Sevenoaks | Loughborough Students | Oxford Hawks |
| Reading | Southgate | Northampton Saints | Stourport |
| Slough | St. Albans | Timperley | Sutton Coldfield |
| Surbiton | West Herts | University of Durham | Swansea |
| University of Birmingham | Wimbledon | Wakefield | Trojans |
Recent champions
|
Men's Hockey League Premier Division [5]
|
Women's Hockey League Premier Division [6]
|
External links
References
- ^ "2008/09 Structure - England Hockey". England Hockey. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ "Men's Hockey League". England Hockey. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ "Investec Women's Hockey League". England Hockey. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ "Old Georgians' Hockey Club". Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ "England Hockey League - History". fixturelive.com. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
- ^ "Women's Hockey League - History". fixturelive.com. Retrieved 2013-04-21.